Due to high cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease concerns, many consumers are interested in making healthier choices with respect to their diets. For this reason, a need exists to provide consumers with whole grain, low cholesterol products. However, with fast-paced lifestyles, it is difficult for consumers to prepare healthy meals or snacks. Therefore, a need also exists to provide the consumer with ready-to-eat nutritious products. Furthermore, there exists a need in the marketplace for a comestible that contains high levels of whole grains in drinkable forms.
It is desired to prepare a whole grain product that maintains its structure during processing (i.e., the starchy endosperm, germ and bran) to meet the FDA threshold necessary to justify a health claim. More specifically, it is desired to prepare a hydrolyzed whole grain flour that is highly dispersible in liquid or semi-solid media that maintains the structure of the whole grain during processing.
Attempts have been made in the food industry to provide a hydrolyzed whole grain that maintains its whole grain structure throughout processing; however, the hydrolyzed whole grain flours tend to clump, have an unacceptable mouthfeel and/or are unappealing to consumers. The present invention overcomes the aforementioned problems and provides consumers with a hydrolyzed whole grain flour that maintains its whole grain structure and nutritional value, and is highly dispersible in liquid and semi-solid media, thereby having an improved mouthfeel and improved consumer acceptance.
Avenanthramides are antioxidants uniquely found in oats. Since their first isolation in the 1980's, more than 30 congeners have been characterized and the most abundant avenanthramides in oats are 2p, 2f and 2c. These polyphenols demonstrate potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic properties, and may be beneficial to people with chronic inflammatory diseases, allergy and cardiovascular disease. Beyond the food industry, avenanthramides' benefits have also been well documented. Tranilast, an analogue of avenanthramides, has been approved for treating inflammation-related disease and the skin care product Aveeno™ is based on the proven benefits of avenanthramides.
In order to achieve beneficial effects on human health, avenanthramides must be ingested in a sufficient amount. In a 1999 Tufts University study, avenanthramides were confirmed to be bioavailable and remain bioactive in humans after ingestion. After 60 or 120 mg consumption, the maximum concentrations of total plasma avenanthramide were 168 and 560 nM, respectively. A more recent study performed by the University of Minnesota showed that consumption of avenanthramides at doses as low as 0.4 or 9.2 mg/day for 8 weeks increased plasma total antioxidant activity and had dose-response effects on several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory parameters. These effects are probably due to the accumulation and high concentration of avenanthramides in different tissues and organs.
Avenanthramide content in oat grains varies based on cultivars and food processing methods. For example, heat treatment generally reduces avenanthramide 2f, 2c, and more profoundly 2p. The processing methods that increase avenanthramide content are of great importance to help people reach health benefits through regular consumption of oat products.
Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is a family of eukaryotic nuclear transcription factors that regulate the transcription of DNA and are involved in the activation of genes related to inflammatory and immune responses. The regulation of the inflammatory response by NF-κB occurs via the enhancement of the expression of genes encoding proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and interleukin (IL)-1β. Activation of NF-κB leads to inflammation that in turn is involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease and is at least partially responsible for diseases such as atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Suppression of NF-κB, a regulator of the immune response to infection, is key in limiting the proliferation of cancer cells and reducing the level of inflammation. Studies have shown that avenanthramides inhibit NF-κB activation.